Role in FIRE-ADAPT: Project Coordinator
Organisation: Pau Costa Foundation (PCF)
Country: Spain
What I highlight about the project
For PCF this project is very important because it connects people and allows exchanges between different actors of the fire community, in particular between research and practitioners from Europe and Latin America. And for us, for the Foundation, these networking projects are fundamental.
What´s key for executing a project like FIRE-ADAPT
It requires dedication because it’s a project with lots of partners from different cultures and with different ways of working and interacting with each other. So, for me and the team, it means a very high involvement. Also, considering what the partners require in whatever phase they are. Lastly, having a positive mindset, because we know that the results that can be produced (the network and the scientific results) are very important and valuable. For this reason, we are very keen on investing that much energy and efforts in making it happen, because it worth it.
What´s the potential of fire
Fire has been part of our Mediterranean ecosystems and many ecosystems worldwide for a long time, before we humans were here. With the years we have learned from many cultures and civilizations that have been using fire. There are many traditional uses, and the beautiful part of this is that different cultures have learned how to use fire and apply it to the ecosystems in different ways. So, it’s a learning process. We (PCF) know a little bit about the use of fire in the Mediterranean ecosystems. For instance, one of the most relevant uses was clearing the forest to make space for pastures and agriculture. In some places of the world, this is still happening, but we don’t see this as clear as it used to be in the Mediterranean.
In the last decades we have taken a different direction. So, in general terms we are not using fire in the way that we could be using it. Obviously, the fire community knows about the role of fire, and we are all very committed to restoring its traditional uses and important role in ecosystems. What we want to do is to empower these cultures and this knowledge that supports the use of fire because we see it as a positive tool to manage our landscape and prevent seeing worse wildfire scenarios than the ones we are seeing right now.
This is me
Favourite food: pasta
Favourite film: The Others, by Alejandro Amenábar
Favourite music: John Bartlett
I admire: many people because of many different things.
Superpower I´d like to have: time travel
In Spain, I’d take you to: some corner of the coast of Girona.